Silence
by Dragon S.W.K
Summary: After that day, everything changed. After that day, a ripple was made. After that day, no words were ever spoken. After that day, Naruto Uzumaki died. After that day, Umi Harukaze was born.
1. V

Chapter 1: Tragedies and Death

The Hokage stood in the small hospital room, staring sadly at the gruesome sight before him. He was wrecked with grief so deep it was unbearable. There, lying in the white hospital bed, was the boy he swore to give the life of a hero. A woman walks into the room, her black curls swaying behind her, and soft brown eyes staring in sadness at the small form below her.

"How is he?" The Hokage asks, his voice cracking slightly. The lady sighs.

"His worst injuries are permanent, they were laced with a poison that had chakra in it, making it unable to heal properly. Also, with how little of the Kyubi's chakra is in his system now...the injuries on his legs will take a long time to heal. That along with the fact that he's close to starving to death, and with the exhaustion of staying awake for so long...he'll be here for a long time." The 'worst injuries' they were talking about were the jagged scars going down each cheek, destroying the whisker marks once there, and continuing down to the base of his neck in a 'V' shape roughly. They had been healed to the point where they would be sensitive to the touch, but that was the most it had healed. The scaring was permanent.

"His voice box has been destroyed horribly, it will most likely never recover. He may be able to say a few words, but I don't recommend it." The Hokage nodded, his eyes sad. The boy twitches, and Hiruzen holds his breath.

"Ahk?" The small croak that came from the boy brought tears to the nurse's eyes.

"Please don't try to speak Naruto-kun." She said softly. His small hand came gently to touch his neck, before Naruto gives a tiny nod. Hiruzen hands him a notepad and pencil, trying to keep his tears to himself as well.

_Hokage-jiji?_ It wrote, the writing neater than he expected.

"Yes Naruto-kun?" The boy seems to hesitate.

_I don't want to be Naruto anymore... _It was a huge request. The boy was their Jinchuuriki, and the council would be furious. Even so, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the boy he failed to protect, and decided that this, compared to what he had failed to give him, was the least he could do.

"Very well." He says. "What do you want your new name to be?" The boy hesitates, before writing down two words.

_Umi Harukaze._

'The Ocean's Spring Breeze...' How fitting of his heritage. The Uzumaki always loved the spring, and living on an island in the ocean brought beautiful views, many that Kushina would describe as the most beautiful thing in the world, second to her husband.

_I want to change my hair color._ _To a dark blue, not too dark though, I'm not like Hinata-chan. _The Hokage chuckles lightly at this, his hope of the boy not suffering permanent mental damage rising. The boy had come asking about the blushing girl's name one time, after the girl fainted in front of him in the park and the Third had given a run-down on her clan and who she was.

"Should I get some of the special dye?" The nurse, Isano, Third nods.

_Special dye? _The boy writes, tilting his head.

"It's a dye used for S-rank missions. The dye absorbs your chakra, and becomes your actual hair color throughout your entire body permanently. It was the Yodaime's idea, although he never used it himself. "Many of his ANBU had used this for infiltration missions. One of the few to not was Kakashi Hatake, surprisingly. It seemed he had some respect for his father after all. About half an hour later, and Naruto Uzumaki was no more. Now sat Umi Harukaze, his dark blue hair matching gently with his light blue eyes.

"Now then Umi-kun, you're going to have to stay and heal for about six months. Isano-chan will take care of you until then. Do you have any questions before I go?"

_Who were my parents? My real ones? _The Third Hokage looked down at the boy. His eyes no longer held that innocent light, he had seen only moments ago, but a defeated, lost look, one of despair and death. So, Hiruzen decides that there isn't much more pain that can be inflicted to the boy, and this would most likely help him more than hinder him.

"Kushina Uzumaki, and Minato Namikaze." Other than a widening of the eyes, no other signs of surprise formed on the boy's face. Then, a smile forms on his face. Though it looks more like a grimace, Hiruzen can see the attempt, along with the small eye smile.

"T-tha...nk...y...ou." He cracked out, and this time, a tear did fall down the Hokage's cheek.

"It is no problem my boy." Isano crouches by Umi, her hands glowing as she checks his health. The boy stares, and Hiruzen feels a bit of hope at the slight glint of wonder in his eyes as he watches her hands. He scribbles furiously.

_Can I learn that? _Isano chuckles.

"You need to improve your chakra a lot more before you can learn this Umi-kun." The boy turns to Hiruzen, eyes begging.

"Why not teach him some chakra exercises to do while he heals." The Hokage says softly. He looks at Umi. "We are waiting mostly on your body to heal, not your chakra. Also, I think I have a journal or two from your parents, which you could read in your free time." Umi tries to grin, only for it to come out as another, bigger grimace, though his eye smile was enough for the old man.

"I'll have your new living space written up, as well as your profile. Also, I'm going to have a poison specialist make sure the poison has left your system." Umi nodded shyly, watching as the Hokage leaves, and Isano steps out to get something, before laying back into his bed. He pulls the sheets up to his nose, covering his scars. The door opens again, revealing a young girl in a brown trench coat, her purple hair in a high ponytail.

"So! You're the kid who got poisoned?" Umi nods, and the girl snorts.

"Not much of a talker are you? I'm Anko Mitarashi. You're gonna need to sit up and pull the sheets down for me to check up on you." Anko is surprised when the boy gives her a stare. Not the 'snake bitch' look, but a fearful, guarded look, like a cornered animal. Anko softens a bit.

"I'm not gonna hurt you kid." She murmurs. Ever so slowly, the boy sits up, lowering the sheets warily. Anko's eye widen at the sight of the scars. They could rival some of Ibiki's, which is saying something considering what he's gone through.

"Who did this to you kid?" Her voice was low and angry. No kid could possibly deserve these type of injuries. Umi was surprised. No one had cared for him before, except for the old man! He looked away when her eyes tried to meet his, refusing to admit anything. Anko raised her hand, patting his hair awkwardly.

"I'll give you a quick check up okay?" Umi tries not to look up as Anko checks him, zoning out and missing exactly what she's doing. He looks at the notebook, having flipped it to a new page when the old man left.

"The poison is gone, you're clean now." Umi grabs his notebook hesitantly, before writing quickly, and holding it up to Anko's face.

_Thank you. _

Anko smiled softly, ruffling the boy's hair.

"No problem brat!" Umi pouts, before flinching as his scars act up on his puffed out cheeks.

_My name is Umi Harukaze! Not brat! _

He wrote this furiously, before shoving it in the girls face. Anko gives a smirk.

"I'll visit you later brat, and maybe I'll bring some food, I know how shitty the hospital food tastes like!" Umi waves as she leaves the room, before cuddling back under the blankets, letting sleep take him.

**LINE BREAK**

He hums quietly as he lies in the water, a small smile/grimace gracing his face. He likes the water, it makes him feel safe.

**Hey brat. **He jumps, sitting up fast in the water. He looks around for the source of the voice, before finally looking behind him. His eyes widen at the sight before him.

The Kyuubi was behind him. The Kyuubi!

**I see my container finally spots his prisoner. **He spits out.

The boy frowns, standing up and walking slowly towards the cage, his head lowered. The great fox growls.

**Why don't you answer me kit?! Also, what happened to your hair, from the glances I saw outside, it was blonde! Like that father of yours!**

Hesitantly, he raises his head. The fox pauses at the sight of the scars, before a tail slides out of the cage, touching the boys neck somewhat gently.

**So this is what caused that sudden rush of my chakra...it doesn't explain why you refuse to speak though. Speak through your mind kit! Not your mouth!**

He furrows his eyebrows slightly in confusion.

_'Like this?' _He freezes as his voice echoes throughout the sewer-like room.

**Exactly. Impudent brat.**

The fox snorts, and Umi tilts his head.

_You said...container...what does that mean? _While he may know some fancy words from the Hokage, it didn't mean he knew every word under the sun. He was only five for god's sake!

**Think of a container as like a box or a pot...or a cage.**

Umi flinches violently at the word, memories flashing in his head.

_How did I become a...container?_

The fox stares down at the boy curiously. What was the boy playing at?

**I was sealed inside of you. Lift your shirt.**

He lifts up his shirt to reveal his obviously malnourished stomach. The fox pauses, his eyes narrowing at the sight, before his tail taps the boys' abdomen lightly. Slowly, the seal that binds the two makes itself known, glowing lightly from the chakra intake.

_Is this a...um... _He tries to find the word the fox used before.

**It's a seal. It binds me inside of yourself, as pathetic as you are.**

_I know! _He exclaims, ignoring the insult.

_I'll make a seal to free you! ...if that's possible..._

**Why?! Why would a human like you want a demon like me to be free?! **The Kyubi all but roared, confusion and frustration leaking into his system. Umi covered his face from the fierce wind caused by the Kyubi's shouts.

Unknown to the boy, he was starting to fade away, yet his answer was clear as he disappeared.

_I hate cages._

The fox huffed at the answer, before its eyes hardened.

**What they did to you...unacceptable...I will tear them limb from limb...how pathetic your race has fallen old man... **And with that, the great fox demon settled down to nap once again.

**LINE BREAK**

Umi watched sleepily as Isano changed the bag of liquid by his bed.

"I was good friends with your mother." She says distractedly, counting the amount in the bag carefully. Umi, his notebook out of reach and his body too tired to sit up and grab it, simply tilted his head.

"I took care of her when she was pregnant with you. You should have seen your father, he was running around, always trying to fulfill his duties and her requests." She chuckled lightly. Umi shifted slightly, he didn't enjoy the feeling of the needle from the bag in his skin.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, you'll be getting a roommate who has to stay here as long as you. The poor kid is pretty sad, please be nice Umi-kun." The boy nodded, before finally reaching for his notebook.

_Can you teach me to write...good?_

Isano chuckled.

"I'll teach the two of you on basic school work every day how about that?" Now, while Naruto hadn't been enthusiastic about writing, Umi knew that it would be needed with his condition.

"I'll also teach you sign language!" Umi tilted his head. Seeing his confusion, Isano elaborated.

"It's speaking using hand symbols. Most Jonin, teachers and doctors know this, so you won't have to carry around a notebook to communicate to them all the time." Isano smiles lightly as Umi's eyes light up in curiosity.

"I'll give you a chakra exercise tomorrow, but lessons won't start until your new roommate is comfortable enough." Though saddened by the prospect of the lessons starting later, the boy understood the circumstances, and was willing to wait. Isano left the room, and Umi took the time to really think about what he was going to do. The Hokage knew about his parents, and must have known about the Kyubi! So why did everyone but him know about it? Umi frowned lightly, his level of trust for the Hokage falling a step or two from just the action. He wanted to be a Shinobi, but why? He didn't want to be Hokage anymore, not after seeing all the paperwork the old man did. He sighed lightly. He would have to find a reason before he entered the academy.

Snuggling into the sheets, Umi then proceeded to doze off once again, ignoring the painful throbbing of his legs.

**LINE BREAK**

**So! I'm starting this out! If you guys have any pairing ideas just tell me! I have a few more OC's coming into play, but that's all I'm sure of for now.**

**I'm pulling this out of my butt right now, so once it gets into super important stuff expect a lull, after all, I haven't watched/read this in forever! **

**From: S.W.K.**


	2. A small flame of hope

Chapter 2: A small flame of hope

Umi lay in a half-conscious state, his eyes closed as he played with his chakra. The fox, in his deep annoyance at the boy's whines, had told him how to do it the night before, and he did it to entertain himself whilst laying there. The itch to escape was huge, but his legs were still severely damaged. He hadn't noticed it as much yesterday, but Isano explained that she had put him on a large dose of painkillers. Now that the most excruciating stage was over, she placed him on a smaller dose, letting him feel the raw aching in his legs. The boy continued resting, missing the sound of the door opening, and Isano's sweet voice talking to someone else. He also missed the shifting of bed sheets beside his bed, and the door closing as Isano left. He didn't miss the muffled sobs though.

Opening his eyes, Umi took notice of a bulge in the bed beside him.

'Why is she crying?' He thought curiously, trying to find any other features other than a lump. The figure he guessed was a girl continued crying, and through those minutes Umi grew annoyed. He had no way of asking what was wrong! He could only wait.

'I'll probably need to get used to this...' Umi thought dryly. He now understood what Isano meant when talking about his roommate needing to be in good enough condition for their lessons. He sighed loudly, before turning away from the crying figure. Eventually, the crying stopped, and Umi heard shuffling behind him.

"Um...hello?" A small voice whispered. Umi turned over to face his roommate, keeping the covers over his scars. He didn't want to scare her after all. He was surprised to see wild red curls and emerald greens eyes on a pale face peeking out from the covers. He slid a hand out from under the covers and waves. The girl continued to stare at him, before slowly, raising her head out from under the covers. Umi stared curiously at the large bruise on her jaw, different shades of purple and yellow staining pale flesh. Her lip was split, and seemed to have just stopped bleeding. Her arms were covered in bruises and burns, and Umi was reminded of his fast healing thing, and reminded himself to speak with the fox later. He watched his roommate carefully as she tried, to no avail, to tame her wild red curly afro, which was now fully visible.

"Why are you in here?" She whispered, looking away shyly, rubbing the bruises along her arms lightly. Umi paused, taking in the wounds, before deciding to trust the other child. After all, his scar didn't appear as bad as her bruises right? Slowly, Umi sat up, letting the covers fall down, showing his entire upper torso, covered in the white hospital gown. He watched as the redhead examined him shyly.

"Um..." She muttered, looking down at the covers and fiddling with them. Umi tapped the metal post lightly, gaining the emerald eyes back onto him, before hesitantly pointing at his injured legs. If he was Naruto, he would have acted extremely friendly and cheerful to her, but now he was Umi, and was silently welcoming, albeit slightly weary.

"You're hurt in the...in the..." The girl struggled to find the right word.

"...legs?" She whispered it shyly, as if afraid to be wrong. Suddenly, the door slid open, causing both children to flinch. Isano stepped in, taking notice of the frightened faces.

"I'll make sure to knock next time." She said softly. While both of them relaxed slightly, they unconsciously pulled the covers up higher.

"How are your legs Umi-kun?" He simply gave a thumbs up, hoping it would suffice, as he didn't want to reach for his notebook.

"Is your throat ready for solid food?" He paused. It was itchy and sore yesterday, and was decently better today. He shook his head no, he didn't trust it yet.

"How about you Hotaru-kun?" Isano questioned his red headed companion. Umi's eyes narrowed in confusion. She said 'kun', and yet Hotaru was a girl's name! Umi sat, his fingers stroking his chin in a, from what Isano saw, adorable thinking pose.

"..." Hotaru was silent, looking fearfully at the woman before him. (A/N: To be clear, Hotaru is a boy!) He turned to glance at Umi, who gave him an eye smile.

"I-I'm alright ma'am..." He muttered quietly. Isano's face molded into a soft smile as she glanced between the two boys.

"Well then, do you think you would be willing to learn with Umi-kun?" She questioned. The shy boy turned to his silent roommate, before nodding faintly, his eyes not breaking contact with the other boys'

"Good!" She cheered, causing both boys to stare at her, surprised. "We'll begin tomorrow!" She turned to face Umi.

"Do you still want that chakra exercise?" She asked kindly, causing the said boy to nod rapidly, before flinching and grabbing his raw throat. She touched her finger to his throat, it glowing slightly as she relieved some of the pain he was feeling. She then sat down between the two beds, holding a pair of scissors and a few pieces of paper. She cut the paper into many small square pieces. Before she, quite suddenly, paused in the middle of her cutting, and glanced at Hotaru, who was watching intensely.

"Do you want to try Hotaru-kun?" She asked gently. She knew the circumstances with his condition, and the most she could do was tread carefully. The boy blushes brightly at having been caught staring, before giving a tiny shake of the head no. Isano smiles gently, before grabbing another piece and proceeding to cut it up As she starts on the last piece of paper, she decides to break the silence.

"Do you two know how to manipulate your chakra?" She asked, glancing at the two. She's not very surprised by Umi's nod, but Hotaru nodding was not expected.

"How did you learn?" She asked the redhead. He simply shrunk back into the covers. Seeing at how she wouldn't get an answer, she simply looked down and finished cutting.

"Here you go Umi-kun! Hotaru-kun, are you sure you don't want to try?" Hotaru glanced shyly at his roommate, who was fiddling with the pieces of paper, his head tilted slightly.

"Okay..." He muttered quietly, lowering his head. Isano simply smiled, and placed half of the sheets onto his lap.

"Now, this is an exercise taught in the Shinobi academy. It is usually associated with a leaf, but as you can see, we're short on those." She joked. When both boys smiled slightly, Isano felt like cheering in triumph!

"You use your chakra to keep the piece of paper against your forehead. See? Like this!" Again, she felt like dancing in joy as both boys giggled slightly at the sight of the paper on Isano's forehead. Well, Umi didn't make any noise, but it was pretty obvious.

"Try to keep the piece of paper on your forehead as long as you can." She stood up, looking at the two boys.

"The reason I gave you so many is because I don't want either of you getting out of your beds okay?" She asked, causing both boys to nod, looking curiously at the pieces of paper.

"I don't expect you to get it first try, especially with the fact that you both have very large amounts of chakra, so controlling it will be harder." Umi had levels to rival the Hokage, and Hotaru's amount was low Jonin. Of course, the two boys wouldn't know what she was talking about, so she left it at that, leaving the two to practise.

**LINE BREAK**

The two had been practising for at least an hour in complete silence. Hotaru kept his on for twenty seconds, before they figured out it was just being held up by his eyebrow. Both boys were cross-eyed, placing another piece of paper on their foreheads when the door slid open once again. They both flinched harshly, the pieces of paper falling onto their laps.

"Hello." A female voice said. There were two ANBU in front of them. One was a familiar figure to Umi, the silver-haired ANBU known as Inu (Dog). The other, the female who spoke, had long purple hair, and the mask of a cat.

"I don't believe we have met Umi-kun. I am Neko." The female introduced herself, earning a nod in greeting from the blue-haired boy. Inu steps forward, handing a note to Umi. The two turn around, about to leave, when Hotaru's soft voice speaks up.

"T-thank you for s-s-saving me...Neko-San." He murmurs quietly, obviously uncomfortable. The said ANBU pauses, before turning her head to look at the boy.

"It is no problem Hotaru-kun." When the two ANBU leave, Umi looks down at the note, unfolding it to read it, blinking in shock at the sight of two extremely thick books wrapped in the paper, how he had not noticed them before, he would never know.

_Dear Umi-kun_

_I will not be able to visit you for the next two or so months due to paperwork and the council over your 'death'. Here are your parent's journals on fuuinjutsu before they died. I have given Isano permission to take any book you like from the library, as well as making sure she teaches you the academy basics, though you still have two years to go. _

_Rest well, The Third Hokage._

Umi frowned slightly as the note brought back the fact of his only recently mentioned parents and not yet mentioned fox. While he knew the old man must have had a good reason for not telling him, it still didn't explain how the entire village knew of the beast, or why he was never told of his heritage. The Hokage had even refused to tell him if his parents loved him, though he never directly asked.

"I'm tired..." Hotaru sighed lightly, Umi nodded in agreement. The exercise had taken a lot out of the two boys. So without haste, the two tucked themselves into their beds, pieces of paper strewn around them, and fell into the dark depths of sleep.

**LINE BREAK**

The great demon fox watched, mildly amused, as Umi swam in the waters of his mindscape. After their first meeting, the great fox was stunned when the boy's mindscape changed after his nap. No longer was he trapped in a cage, but he now had an entire island as his playground, his borders beings twenty feet from the shore as he had tested when it first changed. Surrounding the island were some of the clearest waters the fox had ever witnessed. It's crystal clear surface going off seemingly forever, swallowing the sun as it set when Umi was going to sleep or resting, and watching familiar stars as the boy slept. (When he didn't visit the fox anyways.) He breathed in the sweet scent of fresh water and herbs, unable to believe that the boy had made this all on his own. Then again, when he felt it carefully, he could feel his chakra...changing. The fox couldn't explain it, but it seemed like the chakra that made Naruto separate from Umi was...splitting. The bijuu knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. When had he started thinking of them as two separate beings?! He only changed his name and hair colour!

**It's hard to believe it's possible...it's like the two have split in half. Naruto had wild, uncontrollable, tempered chakra. While Umi's is calmer and softer...it's almost like…**

The fox's eyes widen, before he glances at Umi, whom had disappeared. He stood up hastily, for the first time in many, many years, before dashing into his new grounds.

He knew now what to look for.

He just had to, somehow, find it.

**LINE BREAK**

Umi grinned (In his own way) as Hotaru giggled childishly. He had managed to make the leaf stick for a full minute, without the use of his eyebrows! He had shown it to Isano, who confirmed that he was actually using his chakra, before giving both the boys a new goal.

By the end of their time here, they should be able to stick five pieces of paper to their foreheads for longer than ten minutes. So far, they were both still at one, with Umi sticking his for thirty seconds and Hotaru, just recently, at one minute. Once they make it to ten minutes, then can add another piece of paper, until they can hold those for ten minutes as well. They had a long way to go, but they had so far only spent a whole two weeks in the hospital. Umi had started talking to Hotaru through his notebook, while the said redhead could now hold a small conversation with both Isano and Umi. Neko and Inu visited every once in a while to check up on them, and to give Isano new study material.

While neither of the two had told the other why they were in the hospital, they both knew each other's injuries, and fears to a certain extent. Hotaru was given permission to walk around the room and walk to the bathroom due to not having bad injuries on his legs. Because of this, the redhead would often snuggle into Umi's bed at night, the blue-haired boy welcoming the other's tiny frame and curls in his face. While Isano had gotten mad at first due to worrying about Umi's legs, she saw that it helped with both children's mental state, and let them be.

Isano shuddered as she walked down the hall, a stack of basic history books in her arms. He remembered that incident. After treating the boys for so long, a few others had insisted she needed to rest, and that another nurse should step in. While she argued that she was fine, and that the boys wouldn't take it well, one of the doctors had given a different nurse the job of doing the boys checkup. The result was horrifying. She had been getting the materials for the said checkup when a nurse had dashed in, gasping for air in a panic. When she finally caught her breath, she had explained the situation while hurriedly trying to keep up with Isano as she dashed down the hallways. It had only taken the two words 'your boys' for her to be running for the room.

When she arrived there, it was a war zone.

The nurse had attempted to check up on Hotaru first. The redhead, like Isano predicted earlier, had panicked, and made a mad dash for Umi's bed. The nurse had gotten angry, and the result was Umi sending out a shockwave of chakra, causing the nurse to fall back. Isano wasn't even surprised when Inu and Neko appeared seconds after she entered the room. They had been taking the hospital patrol ever since the two boys had been registered, although Isano had only been told in case of such a situation occurring. She completely ignored everything else once she saw the boy's faces

They were absolutely terrified, hugging each other tightly, their eyes squeezed shut, and their bodies shaking violently. Isano tucked her black curls behind her ears, before walking towards the bed. She sat down on her usual chair, and raised her hands, before gently resting them in spiky blue locks and red curls. Both boys flinched, before opening their eyes slightly. Isano smiled softly at them, running her hands through their hair softly.

"Shh….it's okay, don't worry, I'm here." She whispered. Both boys promptly broke down in tears and sobs, clinging tightly to Isano. She continued to stroke their hair and whisper sweet nothings to them until they finally fell asleep, exhausted and comfortable. Turning her head, Isano was surprised to see the other two nurses long gone, with Inu and Neko waiting patiently by Hotaru's bed.

"We apologize for not being here sooner. If we had…" Isano shook her head at Inu's apology.

"It is fine, you couldn't have done much anyways. I seem to be the only one able to calm them down at the moment…" She paused. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I know you both have some sort of connection to these two, so I'm begging you, at some time during their stay, find a time to meet us as yourselves. These boys need more people to trust, and having a few more would be a huge help." The two ANBU were silent. Truthfully, they both longed to do just that, and now that they had the nurse's approval, they would hopefully be given permission.

Then again, the nurse could truthfully drag them in if she so wanted to. Isano was one of the best medic-nin in the hospital, though her actual ranking was kept under wraps, due to her mostly treating ANBU. Hiding your identity was impossible when getting healed, and Isano knew, most likely, every single ANBU's real face, along with their scars, habits and regrets. Isano was the one who many ANBU, including Inu and Neko, had broken down in front of after a particularly scarring mission.

Even so, her reaction to the boy's situation was much more than being their caretaker. Oh no, her brown eyes _**burned**_ in anger, protectiveness, and worry.

Isano smiled knowingly to herself as she heard a familiar coughing behind her.

"Hello *cough* Isano-chan." She smiled, adjusting the books in her arms as she turned towards the two newcomers.

"Hello Hayate-san, Yugao-chan."

Yes, Isano Akiyama was not a person to mess with.

Soon, everyone would learn that her students could be even worse.

**LINE BREAK**

**Yes yes, i made the second chapter so quickly. I'm on a role!**

**Anyways, any pairing ideas would be awesome to have. YAOI IS WELCOME! (I mean, come on! It's so awesome!) Yuri is as well, though I haven't actually written it before… **

**Also, if there are any changes in the storyline you want me to do, please tell me! (Please give me ones that I can write about now, not like, in 20 or so chapters)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**From: S.W.K.**


	3. Soft hearts and Unicorns

Chapter 3: Soft Hearts and Unicorns

Hotaru hummed quietly as he sat on Umi's bed, string twirled between his fingers. Umi reaches in, pinching the string and pulling, before it ends up on his own hands, its design different, but just as cool. Cat's cradle was one of his favourite games, and to play it with Umi was great fun. They kept going until they messed up, or until Isano told them to stop. Hotaru didn't know what to think when he discovered Umi couldn't speak, he thought it would be awkward, but in truth, he felt more connection to him than any other kid he had tried to talk to.

They just ran away. After all, he was a worthless child...

Umi didn't make him feel worthless though. He knew he was, well, she always said so, and she was usually right. When he was with Umi though, he felt...warm. He felt warmth.

With Isano he felt comfortable, like his favourite blanket, but with Umi he felt so warm...like a hug from Mr. Marshman! Maybe even better!

Hotaru didn't know what happened to her...

She...

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and snapped out of his daze, noticing he had broken their pattern.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, rolling up the string in his hands and placing it on is lap. Umi was giving him the look again, a look he had grown to recognize. He simply shook his head.

"I can't tell you yet..." Not yet. He needed Mr. Marshman back first. Mr. Marshman makes everything better. Umi made a few signs of sign language, some of the few that Hotaru recognized. Without hesitation, he jumped off the bed and pushed the wheelchair over, they were lucky they had one for children or otherwise he wouldn't be able to wheel around! As he helped Umi into the wheelchair, he chose to ignore the two giant burn marks around his thighs like rings, the dark bruises littering the skin, or the scarred stab wounds on his ankles. Once settled, Umi grabbed a blue cloth that Isano had brought in and placed it on his lap, hiding everything but his feet. The two boys wheeled/walked themselves out into the hallway they had already memorized, getting ready for their daily walk/wheel.

They were in the long term care and surgery floor. All the other patients were either 'sleeping for a very long time', as Isano put it. (She said something like...comb? Coma?) Or they were very old. While Hotaru was still afraid of him, they helped one of the doctors who works on the floor hand out snacks and meals. Hotaru decided he liked old people. They moved slowly and didn't scare him, and most of them were very kind, very funny or very grumpy. (He enjoyed making the grumpy ones crack a smile.) He sighed as they finished with the last of the snacks. The doctor thanked them warily, before bidding them farewell. Many of the doctors and nurses were wary after 'that' incident. They walked towards the corner leading to their hallway, when a loud scream was heard. They looked behind them at the hallway they were strictly told never to enter. Isano said it was for...surj...surgeries? Yeah, surgeries.

The screams though...they were calling out to them, begging in a way all too familiar. So, without anymore second thoughts, Hotaru started to quickly push Umi, who eye's glinted worriedly.

They came to the room of the screams origins, and quickly slid open the door.

Blood.

So much blood.

Two of the three doctors were feverishly trying to do something, yelling at how 'we can't give her anymore!' And 'she's bleeding out!' Out of the three doctors, only one was calm, focusing on healing the patient in front of them.

Isano, and she looked _**exhausted.**_

Hotaru broke out of his stupor as Umi shakes him desperately, gesturing to the bloody surface. Hotaru's eyes hardened. They needed to save this person, and though Umi only knew the basics, it had to suffice. The other two doctors were stunned when Hotaru wheeled Umi up by the working table, but Isano simply shoved their stunned selves aside, before looking at the two in the eyes.

"Can you do this?" Her voice was flat and dead serious in the midst of the screams. The two boys nodded, before turning to the patient.

Hotaru felt like crying. She was obviously an orphan, her clothes tattered and her hair too full of blood and dirt to see the color. The entirety of the right side of her face was bloody and burnt, and she looked to be their age. He was lucky he had seen many bad injuries before, or he might have thrown up. Umi placed both his hands above her head while Hotaru climbed into the table, ignoring the wetness soaking into his legs and gown, and held her down. The fact that he could, proved just how starved and weak she must be, as Hotaru was tiny for his age. Umi's fingertips glowed of yellow chakra as he got to work. Hotaru gritted his teeth, he was pretty much useless as it was! He couldn't let down the only two people who thought otherwise, but what could he do?!

He took in a shaky breath, before opening his mouth, and he sang.

(The Fourteenth's Lullaby from D Gray Man)

_Then the boy fell asleep_

_and one or two embers in the fading ashes of the fire_

_flared up in the shape of a beloved face_

_Dreaming many thousands of dreams _

_spreading across the land_

_Your silver gray eyes shine their light _

_like stars falling down from the night sky_

_Even though countless of years _

_turn so many prayers back to earth_

_I will keep praying _

_somehow, love for this child please_

_kissing the joined hands _

(He's singing this in Japanese, but I'm showing the English translation)

While her screams barely died down, Hotaru kept singing, repeating the only song he knew over and over as his friend healed her, and he ignored his flowing tears.

A friend.

_**He **_had a friend.

The joy of discovering this he pushed into the song, his voice echoed through the room that now contained only himself, Isano and his friend. Isano had ushered the other two doctors out of the room, and was now sitting in a chair beside them, keeping an eye on their progress while panting heavily.

**LINE BREAK**

These type of surgeries were the hardest. The head was the hardest part to heal of the body. Why? Because it took so much chakra! The head was extremely complex compared to the rest of the body when healing, as the chakra paths in the head and neck were the most detailed. Even Tsunade would have a difficult time healing an eye, and Umi definitely couldn't. She would have had enough chakra to save this girl if it hadn't been for an ANBU squad in critical condition returning late that night, resulting in no sleep.

When her two students had entered the room, she refused to let herself feel surprised, she had to focus solely on the girl. She saw their damaged and determined eyes though, and gave them a chance.

This would either heal them or break them.

While Umi's healing technique was weak and potentially dangerous due to pushing too much chakra into the patient's body, it was exactly what was needed to heal the girl. Hotaru was doing amazing, though he probably didn't know it. He had the skill that many of the medic-nin lacked. The ability to calm someone down. Before, the girl had been screaming in hysterics and pain, now, they were screams of solely pain, which would be crucial to her mental healing once the surgerie was completed.

Isano's eyes widened in mild surprise at her own confidence in her students. She watched as they healed a child. One like them.

Children left with broken bodies and spirits, yet the softest of hearts.

**LINE BREAK**

Inu and Neko burst into the room. When the Hokage received Isano's message, he sent a message to the two ANBU, who were for once not on hospital rounds, and they arrived as fast possible. They didn't expect the sight before them. The child who had been the patient was sleeping restlessly on the bloody operation table. The two ANBU took note of the two boys cuddled up to her, also fast asleep. (Umi was half cuddling half sitting in his wheelchair.)

"They did it." Isano looked exhausted, yet they had seen her in worse condition. She was looking at the two boys with no small amount of pride in her eyes. She stood up slowly, walking over to the table.

"Help me move them." Inu picked up Umi with surprisingly gentle hands. Isano carefully scooped up the girl, while Neko took Hotaru into her arms.

He was so small, he looked more like a four year old than a six year old. She cradled him gently as they slowly made their way to the two boy's room. It was late at night, so no one was out.

She remembered when she had found him. He looked so lost, so empty. She had cried for him the night she dropped him off at the hospital. Later, when she came with Hayate to visit, the boy had been mildly scared of her, but it was as if he knew it was her. He was calm as she talked with him about things, and Hayate talked to the blue-haired boy, Umi, previously known as Naruto Uzumaki, about different weapons and jutsu.

She had asked him why he looked so sad, and he responded, in his soft, whisper-like voice.

"I left Mr. Marshman _**there**_." He said sadly.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"My unicorn. I named him Marshman because I found him in one, and he never gets dirty." She had then gone back to that place the day after, and had found the said Unicorn. The unicorn was simple. Black button eyes, white fur, black hooves, and of course, the white horn. The only difference was the green mane and tail. Yet, even as the stuffed animal lay in dust and dirt, not a single speck of dirt clung to him...

Mr. Marshman indeed.

Neko sighed mentally as they placed the two boys in Umi's bed, and the girl in the other. She then opened her pouch, and took out Mr. Marshman, placing him on Hotaru's chest, who then proceeded to squeeze him tight, nuzzling his wild locks into Umi's face, who simply wiggled his nose, and burrrowing deeper into the mass of red.

**LINE BREAK**

The great fox sighed at the boy curled up on one of his tails.

**I've grown soft, Shukaku would be laughing hysterically at me right now. Then again, he always did.**

Perhaps it had been because of his recent change. He was a being full of hatred for humans. Yet, he had met three small _**children **_that were similar to _**him**_. He had gotten a good enough assessment of the girl's chakra to already know she would be joining the two boys, he _**could **_sense negative emotions after all.

So now, he still hated most humans. He held a _**little **_less hate for that despicable fourth Hokage and his previous holder, Kushina Uzumaki, but that was only due to the fact that his container was their son.

These three children though. He didn't hate them, and that fact battled in his mind. He had never felt this before, and it was annoying, but familiar.

Really though, he could only sit there, staring at the boy in front of him, and wonder.

Why?

**LINE BREAK**

_This is good._

A soft voice whispered, observing the scene below it.

_This is good enough. _

It sighed in content.

_You are but a small group of humans, and yet, you will shake this world to its core and change it into something unimaginable._

A light, airy chuckle comes from the being.

_Then again, only small groups have ever truly changed this world._

_Good luck. You'll need it._

**LINE BREAK**

**Okay! I made this! Good. Anyways...**

**I don't have any amazing ideas for Umi yet, and which ever one I pick will happen MUCH LATER.**

**I'm thinking of putting Hotaru into a Yaoi pairing, unless I'm recommended something better. So, recommend any guy or girl you think would work.**

**Who did I add? I DUN KNOW!**

**Disclaimer: this is my disclaimer for my entire story, I only own my three characters, counting the new girl in the story. I might have a few other OC's later but that's...well...later.**

**Bye! **

**From: S.W.K.**


	4. Ying and Yang

Chapter 4: Ying and Yang

Umi sighed as he once again failed to write the seal correctly. His writing skills were hard to read, which was why he was doing this exercise. His father had recommended it, saying that the easiest way to get better at writing and seals, would be to draw a fake seal repeatedly. He was attempting the one his father used with zero luck. His lines were squiggles, his symbols just scrawl and he was frustrated. He flipped over his sheet and tried again a small frown on his face.

Isano smiled in amusement at the three children in front of her writing furiously. The girl, Kaminari Tachibana, she had called herself, was interesting. She was feral and aggressive, glaring at the boys for the first two days she had been there, but never spoke a word. They figured out that she never learnt to speak properly, or write, all she knew how to say was her name. So she joined their studies, albeit reluctantly. She could read decently, but was definitely lacking with her speaking and writing. Kaminari exceeded in sign language though...then again, all three of them were very talented with it, Umi especially, for obvious reasons. Isano looked down at the next book and frowned lightly. She had been avoiding things that were specifically about Shinobi, as the children were only six, but she had gone through basic history, math and everything else surprisingly quickly, the next book she had was about weapons. Due to boredom, she fit in a summary of what the other two boy learnt into Kaminari's head, as well as what the two boys learnt that day, with surprising ease, even with her lack of speech, though that never held Umi back.

"Isano-San..." She turned her head to the soft spoken of the three, who was holding up a drawing of a flower.

"It's a daisy..." Hotaru murmurs, looking away from her and blushing brightly. Umi looks up from his seal, leaning forward to examine it. Kaminari also takes a peek, though she scowls the whole time.

_"It's good!" _Umi signs, his eye smile appearing full force. Hotaru shyly looks at Kaminari, who scowls harder, before signing, albeit slowly.

_"It's good."_

Hotaru gives a grin, blushing madly, before starting to draw something else.

Academic wise, Hotaru was an absolute genius. He was almost Chunin level at the age of six! His writing was neater than the other two, proven by his ability to draw, and he was best at explaining things to the other two when they didn't get something.

Kaminari, now that she was eating properly, definitely would be the power house of the group. All three were very slim, but she was the most naturally built in muscle, plus she was the most violent of the three.

Isano frowned as her eyes came to the said girl's hair, which was a big clump on her head. The girl had fought tooth and nail (literally) when she was washing her, and her hair was still too dirty for any color to be visible.

'Maybe if I...' She grinned widely, maybe that would work.

"Okay." She's says half to herself, half to the others, closing the book she had been reading and placing it beside the long-forgotten weapons text.

"Time to wash up." Kaminari scowled harshly, growling lightly. Isano quickly picked the girl up, while herding the two boys to the bathroom door. They were all small for their age, so fitting them in the tub at the same time was no problem. She looked down at the scratches on her arms from the newest addition and her last washing attempt.

'Let's hope this works.' She thinks, wincing slightly when she poked a deep scratch.

"Come out when you're all clean okay?" She says, before leaving three stunned children in her wake.

**LINE BREAK**

Immediately, Kaminari went and sat in the corner.

Hotaru pouted at that, and Umi sighed, before walking over to the tub and turning on the water. He lazily layed by the tub, his fingers feeling soft from the running water.

"Kaminari-chan! Please have a bath with us!" Hotaru chimed, while peeling off his hospital gown. Said girl shook her head. Umi snapped his fingers, gaining both children's attention.

_"Please?" _He signed.

Kaminari glared in response.

_"Come on, it's not that bad, and we can show you to wash yourself." _Kaminari, sighed. She may have not understood a word or two, but she got the message.

"No. Me don't like water." She said firmly. Hotaru's eyes widened and began to sparkle, and Umi, in slight fear, turned away quickly. Kaminari, oblivious to the dangers ahead, remained staring.

**LINE BREAK**

Kaminari growled as she poured the bucket of water over her head. She glared at the humming redhead, who was rubbing shampoo into his scalp merrily. Her dark gaze turned to Umi, who simply rolled his eyes, and lifted a hand slightly.

_"Fear it."_

The girl shuddered, before nodding slightly, always fear the puppy eyes.

"Oh!" Hotaru gasped, causing the other two to jump in mild fear that their curly haired friend had seen the exchange.

"Your hair! It's so pretty!" He said, a pink blush appearing on his face. Kaminari tilted her head in question, her empty eye socket visible due to taking off the patch before getting in the tub. (The actual eye is too complex to heal easily.)

_"It's the most normal out of us three." _

Umi signed, a deadpanned expression on his face. Kaminari twirled her dark silver locks in front of her, a look of awe on her face.

"I...not seen hair..." She murmured, playing with the locks in fascination.

"See? Baths are good!" Hotaru giggled, before blushing brightly as both of his friends stare at him, eyebrows raised.

The three are silent as they wash up, before deciding to lay in the tub for a while. (Kaminari in fear of another dose of the puppy eyes.)

_"So...do you two want to be ninja?" _Umi signed carefully, he was curious on what his friends would do. Hotaru frowns lightly at the question, before nodding firmly. At his friends mildly surprised gaze, he blushes darkly.

"I...I'll tell you why with my story...but you need to tell me your stories!" Both children nod.

"I...my...m-mother fell in love with a merchant, and after she got pregnant with me...he left...ever since then she would yell at me and..." Hotaru cringed, biting his lip hard. Umi patted the redheads soaked head to comfort him, while Kaminari looked at him in a mixture of surprise, anger and sadness.

"One day masked people came into the house and took me away...they said I wouldn't see...her again. I felt bad...because I felt...happy...she said...worthless people should n-never feel happy..." He cradled his now yellow bruises as he sobbed softly. While they wouldn't learn this until much later, Hotaru was placed there mainly for worry of his mental health, and only stayed there because Umi wasn't healed yet.

"You not...w-worth less-ss" Kaminari forced out, what could be identified as a protective glare set on her face. Hotaru smiled, more tears running down his face, Umi pulled him into a hug. Kaminari shifted slightly.

"I was orphan." She whispered softly.

"Liked be alone...not learn speak..." She then pointed to her lost eye.

"Take food...hot stick..._blacksmith?_" She signed the last word in question, causing the other two children to shake their heads. None of them had seen a black smith before, they barely knew what one was, the fact that they used hot sticks was scary though. Hotaru moved to the other side of the tub, giving Umi free hands to sign. He sat up out of the water, letting his scars become visible. Kaminari gasps slightly at the sight. She hadn't seen them clearly in the past week she had been here, and seeing them up close made them look much more painful.

_"I was an orphan." _He started off slowly.

_"Not a lot of people liked me." _He rubbed his neck gently.

_"A group of drunks attacked me. I fought back and they..." _Umi faltered slightly. He felt like running away and never coming back, but he knew he had to finish his turn. For his friends.

_"I stayed in their basement...two weeks...barely lived..." _He signed half-heartedly, before lowering his eyes.

Did they hate him? Were they disgusted?

He got his answer through the two pairs of arms wrapping around him.

"Yes. Me want Shinobi. Me want to protect...friends" Kaminari said firmly. Hotaru nodded.

"I want to protect my friends." Umi smiled softly.

_"Protect our friends." _He signed against their backs.

Little did one know how far that promise would take them?

**LINE BREAK**

Umi frowned.

_What do you mean? _The Kyubi growled, annoyed.

**I'm going to train you brat! Your chakra control is horrible! **Umi pouted.

_That's not completely my fault you know. _The great fox rolled his eyes. Umi stuck his tongue out at the fox, causing said beast to growl in annoyance.

**If I'm going to be stuck inside a brat like you, like hell you're going to be weak! **He grumbled, his nose appearing from the darkness of the cave. The fox had found it about a week ago, and had been sleeping in it most of his time,

_So...do I call you Kyuubi-sensei now? _The fox grinned widely, his eyes gleaming in the dark.

**Of course. **Umi sighed, turning away from the opening of the cave, and starts to fade away, an attempt at a pout still visible on his face...

**Remember this kit. You will always be Naruto, no matter who you become.**

He sighs when the boy disappears, before looking behind him into the back of the cave.

**Who are you? **He growled lowly. He had ignored his presence whilst the kit was here, but now he growled harshly at the stranger.

H-hello? A shy voice asked, as a small figure came into the light. The fox's eyes widened, before he sighed.

**'I told you kit...you will always be Naruto.' **He muses.

**Come here. **He growls, beckoning the small figure over with a tail.

You're the K-Kyuubi! The figure trembled slightly. The great fox sighed.

**Of course I am! Stupid kit... **He sighed deeply, the gust of wind blowing throughout the cave.

**Come here. I have much to teach you, but you need to sleep first. **Before the figure could protest, his eyes drooped, and he fell over landing onto one of the fox's tails.

**Great, now I have two kits to teach. **He grumbled.

**Then again, they **_**are **_**Ying and Yang and now that they're like this, I **_**need**_ **to teach them both. **He groaned slightly at the prospect of training two human brats, before bringing one of the said brats closer to him, looking down at his bright blonde hair.

**What have I got myself into...? **He murmured as he fell into another of his lovely naps, the salty wind blowing warmly at the two figures.

**LINE BREAK**

"What?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konohagakure, was stunned. Isano nods, a small smirk on her face.

"All three of them have inherited Kekkai Genkai. Also...Umi's..." She smiles as Hiruzen's eyes widen.

"It can't be...Minato had no signs of a bloodline!" Hiruzen sighed tiredly, lighting his pipe and taking a long drag.

"The other two...this is amazing." Three Kekkai Genkai wielders, all unknown. It was almost unheard of!

"Also, all three want to be Shinobi. They told me yesterday, they said they want to protect their friends." She shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"I have my hands full." Suddenly, a scary aura surrounded her. The Hokage sweat dropped.

"Of course, you'll be getting a raise." He reassured, giving a sigh of relief as the aura faded. EVERYONE feared Isano Akiyama, the Hokage and council being no exception.

"Thanks! You're too kind Hokage-sama! I have a request as well." She sang merrily. The Hokage sighed mentally. By request she meant order.

"I would be pleased if we waited till all three Kekkai Genkai are revealed before telling the council, if that is fine by you." The Hokage nodded tiredly, imagining in dread the future complaints of said council...and the paperwork.

"Also...where is their new living space located?" The Hokage opened his mouth, before pausing, his eyes widening in comical horror.

"Oh kami...I put them beside Anko!" He brings his head down onto the desk top, groaning immaturely. Isano only pats his head in comfort.

"They'll have fun and become strong, don't you worry about them. Now then, I have to return the favour right?" Isano leaned down, whispering something into his ear, before leaving the room. Hiruzen stays in his position of dread, before shakily lifting his hands and forming a seal. Soon enough, eight Hokage's were working on the huge stack of paperwork, while the original said old man let out a small giggle from behind a certain small book.

**LINE BREAK **

"So...this is our room?" The three children were vibrating with nerves, as Hotaru shakily placed the key in the lock, pushing the door open. They hadn't left the hospital for four months, and having a new home was terrifying. They all peeked in, looking around the room quietly. It was simple, a small living room with a low table and a few blankets neatly piled up in the corners by the mats. The color scheme was plain but nice, with dark hardwood flooring and light brown walls. They stepped in quietly, each pulling the clothes Isano gave them tighter on their bodies. (They were a bit too big.) The kitchen was simple and cute, as Hotaru exclaimed. It had a lighter wood for the cupboards and counter, its walls a soft baby blue. Umi had started signing at extreme speeds in excitement. He had stumbled upon the hospital kitchens, and the cooks taught him many recipes, and a high respect for cooking. They had to drag him out of the room before he broke his wrist. The bathroom was simple, but bigger than expected. The bath tub was very small, but the shower was larger than usual. Obviously the Hokage had been told of their shower habits. (They preferred to shower together) The final room was their bedroom. They placed their small bags on the floor, looking around the room in awe. (Their bags were filled with mostly homework from Isano and Hotaru's drawings.) The walls were a pure white, with golden vines painted all along the borders of the wall. In the middle of the room, on the light wood flooring, was what looked like a giant futon, and on that giant futon was a little note.

_Hope you love everything! Love- Isano_

The three smiled, grabbing each other's hands tightly. Three six year olds living together, now not alone.

This would be fun.

**LINE BREAK**

**Ah school, the bane of my existance…..anyways, here's another chapter! I've gotten a few pairings for Umi/Naruto, but I'm thinking of deciding him later.**

**If anyone has any ideas for pairing Hotaru and Kaminari than simply tell me!**

**I did a huge time skip...I feel kind of guilty for some reason.**

**Anyways! If you're reviewing a pairing remember this!**

**I would prefer Hotaru to be paired with another guy UNLESS you can give me a convincing pairing with a girl character.**

**Now for Kaminari….I'm not quite sure yet, so simply tell me whatever pairings you think might work though I haven't revealed much about her personality yet…**

**Anyways! I'm done! See Yah!**

**From: S.W.K.**


End file.
